I Wander

Travel Blog, Itineraries & Guides, Hotel Reviews

Destinations

The PERFECT 3-Day Itinerary For Kota Kinabalu (If You’re Not Into Mountain Climbing) – 2022 Update

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Kota Kinabalu has become synonymous to its namesake mountain, one of the tallest in Southeast Asia. While Mt. Kinabalu often overshadows the city, this cosmopolitan hub stands as an increasingly popular gateway to the exotic island of Borneo, the world’s 4th largest. It’s quite apparent that this destination offers plenty for those with a knack for outdoor pursuits but few realize that KK works just as well even for those not planning to climb a single step up the well-trodden peak. Every time I tell my friends that I’m going to the state capital of Sabah, they ask me if I’m climbing – leaving them with a perplexed expression when I tell them I’m not. Believe me, there are a lot of things to see and do in Kota Kinabalu whether or not you choose to spend a few days to scale Mt. Kinabalu. I have been to the city twice and still feel that there’s much more to do. Here is my suggested itinerary for a short trip to Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, East Malaysia.

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My Experience at Canopy Park (Jewel Changi Airport) Full Guide + Cheap Tickets – Mindboggling Mazes, Height Defying Walking Nets & More

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Canopy Park opened at Jewel Changi Airport on the 10th June 2019 and has received plenty of media coverage and public interest that I was quite curious to check it out during a preview organized by the Changi Airport folks along with the Changi Experience Studio. Images of a large net suspended over the higher levels of Jewel Changi Airport seemed to capture the public’s imagination, adding to the overall allure of the mixed-use development.

BOOK DISCOUNTED TICKETS TO CANOPY PARK AT JEWEL CHANGI AIRPORT HERE

If you are thinking of visiting Canopy Park and are wondering how the attractions really are like and whether they are worth your money, hopefully this guide can present a well-balanced view of the various facilities and attractions within this 14,000 square meter theme park.

CHECK OUT MY REVIEW OF CHANGI EXPERIENCE STUDIO HERE

First of all, you have to know that entrance fees to the various attractions don’t exactly come cheap. While the standalone ticket that allows you to enter the Canopy Park alone is priced at a very reasonable S$4.50 for residents / S$5 for non-residents, the ticketed areas require top-ups between S$6 to S$15 per person per attraction while bundled tickets for the entire Canopy Park experience can go as high as S$54 per adult / S$39 per child. If you go for the whole thing, you may find Canopy Park to be the second most expensive theme park in Singapore, behind Universal Studios Singapore but well-above the Night or River Safaris or the various attractions in Sentosa.

Update: Given the current situation, cheaper bundle tickets are now available for Canopy Park. Read until the end for pricing details on the new bundles!

Here is a rundown of the various attractions at Jewel Changi Airport’s Canopy Park:

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The Perfect 2-Day Bangkok Itinerary (Updated 2021 Travel Guide)

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As one of Asia’s best value and most popular destinations, Bangkok offers a plethora of things to see and do. Filled with many spectacular Buddhist temples and ornate buildings, the city is at once exotic and at the same time modern with all the creature comforts that one can imagine. Bangkok is also known as a shopping haven, with mass consumerism juxtaposing against a strong market culture. The city’s streets are always buzzing and teeming with life.

I have been to Bangkok quite a few times and always enjoy coming here for the unbeatable value, delicious Thai food and fascinating things to see in the city’s streets. Whether you’re a first-timer, a regular or even a shopaholic, here are some of my itinerary suggestions on a 2-day trip to Bangkok. I’ve made the duration 2 days to make it easy to execute during weekends. For some other ideas, you can also check out this Bangkok travel guide.

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The Perfect Cambodia Itinerary for Phnom Penh, Siem Reap & Battambang – One Week Travel Guide

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Cambodia has perhaps been squarely identified with Angkor Wat that those who have not visited are hard pressed to find a different reason to come. For someone who used to be stuck with this mindset, it took me six long years before I made my second visit to Cambodia (my first one was to see the temples of Angkor).  What I discover during my subsequent visits (there have been 6 as of this writing) have always left me eager to uncover more. There are a lot of things that have kept me coming back, including the delicious food, the multifaceted architecture as well as friendly people. For folks who have yet to visit or are deciding whether to do so, I hope my suggested itinerary for Cambodia which runs through Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Battambang will be of help!

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The Easy-to-Follow Itinerary for Chiang Mai & Chiang Rai (Northern Thailand Travel Guide)

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They say you haven’t really done Thailand until you’ve checked out the highland scenery and distinctive Lanna culture of the north. With its laidback lifestyle, impressive (and unique) architecture and cooler climes (in December and January), the cities of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai have long delighted local tourists looking to escape the hustle and bustle of Bangkok. In terms of international travelers, the region has also attracted a significant number although still way below the likes of Phuket or Krabi. That is starting to change. With increasing international flights to Chiang Mai International Airport, the gateway of the north, plenty of international travelers who have already done Bangkok in the past venture to the cities of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai for something different.

This itinerary aims to show how you can do Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, the main cities of Northern Thailand, in as little as 3 or 4 days – essentially the weekend plus 1 or 2 extra weekdays. 

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The Perfect 3-Day Itinerary For San Francisco (2021 Updated Travel Guide)

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This is a long overdue guide to one of my favorite cities in the world. For a place that has less than one million people, San Francisco has definitely pushed above its weight in terms of contributions to the world. From Levi’s and Gap to UBER and Airbnb, the city has always managed to keep itself in the cutting edge. For the casual visitor, the number of things to do seems to be disproportional to the city’s land area and it’s often hard to decide how to plan a visit to San Francisco especially when it’s the first time.

This itinerary groups together attractions and places that are near or connected to each other for a more organized trip to the city by the bay. It offers a great mix between scenic spots, eating, shopping and with a few hipster areas thrown in. Without further ado, here’s a 3-day itinerary that you can follow for San Francisco.

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The Perfect Malta Itinerary – How to Do the Islands in 3 Days

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Measuring just 316 square kilometers, Malta punches way above its weight in terms of attractions and activities. As a year-round destination, this tiny island nation in the Mediterranean certainly surprised me when I visited. Coming from Singapore, a city state which is actually more than twice the size of Malta, I was taken aback by the abundance of open spaces, distinct villages as well as the number of natural attractions. Malta certainly seems much larger than its actual size suggests.

When I visited Malta, I allotted only 3 days to explore the the two main islands of Malta and Gozo (three if you also count Comino) Knowing the size of the country beforehand, I thought 3 days would actually enable me to fully explore the islands plus allow for a lot of free time. After my first day, it dawned on me just how much there is to see and do that I felt the need to plan the remainder of my trip carefully. Eventually, I was able to cover the interesting points in the islands within 3 days, including some Game of Thrones filming locations, and here I will share with you just how to do the same. If you are in Malta for an extended weekend, this is an itinerary that you can follow.

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The Perfect Barcelona Itinerary

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Most visitors deem Barcelona as Spain’s most attention-grabbing city and it’s not hard to see why. Out-of-this-world designs, chic bars, a strong culinary tradition and a plethora of things to see and do all make Barcelona the usual first stop in Spain and for many, the preeminent impression of the country. A closer look however, reveals a complex heritage. For starters, majority of the signs in the city are not even in Spanish. They are in Catalan, the native language of Catalonia, the region where Barcelona is situated. In fact, whenever I made the effort of speaking to the locals in Spanish, I would be replied to in English. People here are staunchly Catalan in identity.

While Madrid is the political center of Spain, Barcelona is its commercial and financial heart. And while most European cities can be classified as renaissance, baroque or medieval, Barcelona appears to be more contemporary. Skyscrapers, which are less common in Europe than they are in America or Asia, are prevalent here in all shapes and forms. And of course, one cannot talk about Barcelona’s cityscape without mentioning Gaudi. Arguably one of the top reasons to visit the city, this architect’s unique vision means that many of Barcelona’s buildings appear like nowhere else in the world, leaving visitors in awe at how one man’s ideas can appear so intense, colorful and bursting with so much life.

This guide shows you how you can visit Barcelona for 2 or 3 days.

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